Beach paddle ball, or “Matkot,” is a growing beach pastime that is increasing in popularity. It is believed that the game originated along the Mediterranean Sea, and has migrated to the United States and is played throughout the country. Beach paddle ball is played with multiple players, typically two to three participants, where a small rubber ball is volleyed back and forth between the players using a wooden paddle. The broad wooden paddle or racket is called a matka—for which the game is named—and the object of the game is for the players to hit the ball back and forth in an effort to keep it from hitting the sand.
Sports paddles and racquets such as that used in Matkot are ubiquitous and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and designs. For example, ping pong is played with a wooden paddle that includes a rubber or tacky sheet adhered to the surface of the wooden paddle, whereas squash, tennis, and badminton racquets use a wooden, metal, or composite frame with strings across the surface to form a hitting area. There are also hybrids of these games, including beach tennis, table tennis, and so forth, each using a different type of paddle or racquet. In each of these games and activities, a specialized sports paddle is used to hit a ball of some kind to or in a designated playing area. The performance of the sports paddle is dependent upon the purpose of the game and the design of the paddle, but once a paddle is designed it is typically fixed in terms of response, performance, size, etc. There is no effective way to adjust, for example, a ping pong paddle to select a different response as might be advantageous for playing a two different opponents. Similarly, wind conditions, the skill level of the participants, and desire for greater control versus power (or vice versa) would make it advantageous for paddles such as a beach paddle ball paddle to have some adjustability over the response. In other circumstances, it may be preferably to extend the handle to accommodate different players, playing conditions, etc. The present invention is directed to this goal.